Means for actuating speed-indicating devices, governors, and other devices from rotating shafts



G. CONSTANTINESCO.

MEANS FOR ACTUATING SPEED INDICATINAG DEVICES, GovERNoRs, ANDDTHER DEVICES- Enom RoTATlNDsHAFs.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I6. |919.

1,386,925, Patented Aug. 9,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- INVENTQR tnnmntunu@ jg AUDRNEY G. CONSTANTINESCO.

MEANS FOR ACTUATING SPEED INDICATING DEVICES, GOVEHNORS, AND' OTHER DEVICES FROM ROTATING SHAFTS.

APPLICATION FILE'D SEPT. 16| 1'919.

PatentedAug. 9,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

narran stares estasi ersten.

GEORGE CONSTANTINESCO, OF WEYBRIDGE, ENG-LAND.

MEANS FOR ACTUATING SPEED-DTDICATING DEVICES, GOVERNORS, LND OTHER DEICES FROM ROTATING SHAFTS. Y

Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

Application filed September 1G, 1919. Serial No. 324,123.

To all 'whom z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE CoNsTAN- TiNnsco, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Carmen Sylva, Beechwood avenue, O'atlandsl `1n a vessel rotating with the shaft.

The present invention consists in means by which the depth of the liquid ring can be maintained 'constant independently of the quantity of liquid in the system.

The invention further consists in providing a secondary Pitot tube the pressure branch of which is immersed in the liquid and arranged at a point nearer t0 the axis of the rotating shaft than the inlet of. the principal Pitot tube which transmits the pressure of the liquid.

The invention further consists in connecting the secondary Pitot tube to a small reservoir of liquid situated at a higher level than the rotor.

The invention also consists in the application of the instrument having principal and secondary Pitot tubes for obtaining the supply of liquid under pressure dependent on the speed of rotation of the shaft, and in utilizing this liquid for governors, pumps, or other purposes.

The invention also consists in the improved means for obtaining a supply of liquid under pressure dependent on the speed of rotation of the shaft, hereinafter described.

Referring to the accompanying drawin igure l is an axial sectionand Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. l, of a device constructed according to the invention.

Fig. `3 is a ,diagrammatic view showing the operation sf the apparatus.' Y

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of a modified application. l

F1gs. 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views of the device applied tothe actuation of a device'such as a valve.

Fig. 7 shows the apparatus applied as a means for controlling the throttle and the spark advance of an internal combustion engine. Fig. 8 shows the apparatus employed for indicating the speed of two shafts and for governing the speed so that the shafts are kept rotating synchronously.

In the form of invention shown in Figs. l, 2, and 8, the. rotor a, formed of two cupshaped piecesv lin which the liquid is contained, rotates on bearings I), being con.- nected to a driven shaft byvmeans of the lug r. The bearings are mounted on a fixed shaft c having passages d, e, formed therein leading to the two Pitot tubes f g. The tube {vis longer than the tube g as indicated in 41g. 2. Thepassage d is `connected by-a pipe with a gage and the passage e by a pipe m to a reservoir a. Ribs la. may be provided in the circumference of the chamber containing liquid to decrease the relativo slip between the liquid and the rotor.vv The longer Pitot tube f is connected by a tube 7c with a pressure gage Z, while the shorter Pitot tube g is connected by a pipe m with a liquid reservoir a. l

W'hen the apparatus is at rest the liquid will remain in the lower part of the rotor a filling this rotor up to the level of the bearings and'` any excess will flow out through the bearings. On rotating the rotor the liquid will be carried around also and will take the formof a ring around the circumference of the rotor, and this ring will diminish in depth, the Vexcess liquid being gradually forced through the pipe m into the reservoir n. Liquid will be continually forced into the reservoir a until the shorter end of the Pitot tube is just immersed in the liquid so that when the rotor is rotating above a predetermined speed, the liquid it contains will be in the form of a ring of constant depth. The' pressure transmitted from the longer leg of the Pitot tube to the pressure gage Z through the pipe lo will accordingly be registered, and the indication of the instrument will depend only on the velocity of the liquid.

The capacity of the roter of the instrument should be such that when the instrument is at rest, the small reservoir should just be empty of liquid, the rotor being` nearly half full. Any excess of liquid which may be put in the small reservoir when the rotor is at rest, Would simply pour out of the bearings of the rotor. The capacity of the rotor should be on the other hand of such size that when the rotor is rotated and all the liquid is thrown into the form of a ring by the centrifugal force, the depth of the ring thus formed is sufcient to cover the inlet of both the principal and second-- ary Pitot tube.

lt can be seen that in this Way the quantity ofliquid in the rotor a is constant during the u'hole time it is rotar-ino' t the -,g. same time there will be a reserve of liquid in the small reservoir n which will compensate automatically any losses due to evaporation or otherwise in the instrument. lt is obvious that if the depth of the liquid ring is not sufiicient to cover the inlet of the secondary Pitot tube g, the pressure at its inlet falls and liquid from the small reservoir n flows by gravity into the rotor L until the ring of liquid has reached a depth sufficient to cov-er the secondary l itot tube inlet. A pressure is then created against the gravity of the liquid in the small reservoir and the flou7 due to gravity is stopped.

l/Vhen the rotor is brought to rest, gravity asserts itself again on the liquid from the reservoir and the liquid flows' back into the instrument, the reservoir remaining empty.

By this arrangement as long as there is any liquidr left in the small reservoir when the rotor revolves the depth of the liquid ring in the rotor remains constant.

The invariability of the depth of the liquid ring in the rotor is important when the instrument is used in conjunction With an ordinary pressure gage, from the principal Pitot tube only the pressure branch being used. l.Vhcn the main Pitot tube is used with boti its branches connected to a differential gage, a variable depth of the liquid ring in the rotor does not cause a great variation of pressure on a differential gage because the effect of the static centrifugal pressure in the rotor depends on the depth of the liquid ring and is the same on both branches of the principal Pitot tube and therefore disappears in the differential gage. But if only the pressure branch of the principal Pitot tube is used and is connected to the pressure gage, as shown in the figures, the depth of the liquid ring has an important bearing on the readings on the pressure gage because the pressure measured would be of tivo parts; the first part is the dynamic pressure due to the relative speed between the liquid and the lPitot tube at the inlet of the tube and is independent of the thickness of the liquid ring, the

second part is the static pressure all over the liquid ring due to the centrifugal action and depends on the depth of the liquid ring.

rThe present invention has a very important application owing to the fact that any loss or excess of liquid in the rotor is automatically compensated from a small reser- `Voir, enables one to use the pressure of liquid created on the principal Pitot tube to actua-te other apparatus than a pressure gage.

ln the forms of the invention shown in Figs. a, 5 and G, the pressure produced in the liquid is caused to actuate a piston g) or (liaphragn'i r to Work any suitable piece of apparatus such a governor for controlling the prime mover which drives the rotor.

ln the form of the invention shown in Fig. one branch of the Pitot tube is connected to the bottom of the cylinder at the point 1 and the other branch is connected to the other end of the cylinder at the point 2. A piston y) moves in the cylinder, being kept in a mean position by a spring. Since the difference in pressure on the tvvo sides of the piston p produced by the liquid pressure'in the Pitot tubes acts in opposite directions of the piston j), this will move up or down according to the speed of rotation of the rotor.

l may use this invention therefore, ern the speedl of steam turbines, hydraulic turbines, or any form of steam, hydraulic or internal combustion engine by simply using the pressure and flow of liquid from the main lDitot tube to actuate a piston or'device governing the valves, vanes, throttles, or any other part of a machine.

ln the form of the invention shown 1n l? the pressure produced in the Yrotor is employed to automatically actua-te the spark advance in a magneto used on an internal combustion engine and at'the same time to control the throttle in order to prevent the engine exceeding a certain speed. The pipe leading from the longer branch of thePitot tube in this case actuates tWo pistons u 'u one of which is connected to the spark advance lever t while the other is connected to the throttle valve s. A speed indicator Z may also be connected as in Figs. 1, 2 and 8.

Fig. 8 shows the apparatus actuating a differential gage 11 indicating the difference between the speed of rotation of tivo shafts connected to separate rotors 12, V13. The shorter tubes inside the two rotors are connected to a common reservoir 14. The longer ends of' the Pitot tubes in addition to being connected to the differential gage 11 are connected to cylinders 15, 16 yin which tWo connected pistons 17, 18 can reciprocate. These pistons form differential governors lcontrolling the valve 19 by Which the flow of air through two pipes 20,21, leading to different carbureters is controlled. yllhe longerv Pitot tube from one instrument is also connected to a governing piston 22 controlling 'throtto govtle valve 24, while the longer tube of the other instrument is connected to the piston controlling the throttle valve 26. The two instruments in .this case, therefore, control a common differential governor and also maximum speed governors, one for each engine cylinder, and a differential gage indieating the relative speeds of the two shafts.

The above was given only as an example, but many other combinations are possible where it is necessary to synchronize a large number of machines. Y

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire .to secure by Letters Patent is l. In apparatus of the type indicated, comprising a rotor, liquid in said rotor, and a tube within said rotor having its end continuously immersed in the liquid above a certain speed of said rotor, a second tube shorter than the first having its end lipping the liquid at said certain speed of the rotor, a device to be actuated by liquid pressure, a reservoir of liquid, a connection between said first tube and said device to be actuated, and a connection between said second tube and Said reservoir of liquid, as set forth.

2. In apparatus of the type indicated, comprising a rotor, liquid in said rotor, and a tube within said rotor having its end continuously immersed in the liquid above a certain speed of the rotor, a second tube shorter than the rst' having its end lipping the liquid at said certain speed of the rotor,

a pressure gage, a reservoir of liquid, a connection between said first tube and said pressure gage, and a connection between said second tube and said reservoir of liquid, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE CON STANTINESCO. 

